Why multicultural youth ministry? After all hasn’t youth ministry been multicultural since the dawn of time? Yes, and no actually. Prior to the Civil War, many churches in the United States were multiethnic. When the war started many Americans of African decent felt unwelcomed in some churches and a few churches even split on the issue of slavery. Dr. Mauel Ortiz writes that in modern times, Sunday morning in the most segregated day of the week in the United States with the white people worshiping in the white church and brown people worshiping in the brown church.((Manuel Ortiz, One New People: Models for Developing a Multiethnic Church (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1996), 10)) Research by Dr. George Yancy seems to confirm that only about 8% of the churches in the US are multiethnic churches.((George Yancey, One Body, One Spirit: Principles of Successful Multiracial Churches (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), under “Defining Multiracial Congregations,” Kindle.)) So while at one time in our nation’s history it seemed that our churches were a bit more multiethnic than they are now. So why strive for a multicultural youth ministry?
Heaven will be multicultural.
Revelation 7:9-12((all scripture is taken from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.)) is clear that people from across the globe will be together in heaven worshiping the Lord.
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
If heaven will be multicultural, why shouldn’t the local church be multicultural? If we are going to live together as brothers and sisters in the Lord for eternity, why not start worshiping together now?
The early church was multicultural.
Check out the book of Acts. I challenge you to try and find a church that was monocultural. Acts 2 records that on the day of Pentecost there were people from all over the known world in Jerusalem who heard and responded to Peter’s first sermon. In Acts 13 we see that the church in Antioch was culturally diverse with people from Cypress, Africa, Cyrene, and Israel. Some of the early churches growing pains were a reflection of the multicultural diversity within the early church. Remeber the widows that were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food (Acts 6)? It was the Greek widows that were being overlooked, indicating that there were Greeks as well as Jews worshiping together. If the New Testament church was multicultural shouldn’t our churches include all cultures?
The US and Europe are becoming more multicultural.
More and more people are immigrating to the United States and Europe. Most of us are aware of the great migration of refugees from the Middle East into Europe, and Asians are projected to be the largest ethnic group to immigrate to the US.((Pew Research Center, “Modern Immigration Wave Brings 59 Million to U.S., Driving Population Growth and Change through 2065: Views of Immigration’s Impact on U.S. Society Mixed” (Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2015), 13, PDF.)) As Christians, shouldn’t we be reaching out to these wonderful people with the gospel or is reaching other people from different ethnicities and cultures something that only missionaries are supposed to do?
The gospel is for everyone.
As Christians, we know the gospel is for everyone. Consider that Luke 24:46-47((Luke 24:46-47 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.)) is referring to all ethnos, or all mankind. It is interesting that ethnos is the root word for ethnicity. Since the gospel is for everyone and Jesus died for the sins of the world (see John 3:16) shouldn’t we be intentional about sharing the gospel with everyone, even with people who don’t look like us or talk like us? Isn’t it interesting that some of the fastest growing churches are multicultural churches?
Teenagers
Teenagers, for the most part, are open to interethnic relationships. According to a 2010 report from the Pew Research Center, Millennials generally have more cross-ethnic relationships than any other generation that has gone before.((“Almost All Millennials Accept Interracial Dating and Marriage,” Pew Research Center, February 1, 2010.)) Also, consider that most teenagers interact with different cultures and ethnicities every day they are at school. Isn’t it odd that their church is the most monocultural place they will be all week? Teenagers are already living in a multicultural world, they have friends from different cultures and ethnicities and some are even sharing their faith across cultures.
What are you doing to reach beyond your Jerusalem into your Samaria? How are you being intentional to reach all ethnos of teenagers with the gospel? What would our youth groups look like if we intentionally shared the gospel with everyone, not just those that look like us, dress like us or talk like us? It would probably look a little like heaven.
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